The Four-Way Stop With a Stalled Truck
You are driving south on a two-lane residential street and approach a four-way stop. The time is 4:40 pm and light rain has made the pavement slick. A large box truck is already stopped in the northbound lane, its left-turn signal flashing, waiting to turn across your path. Behind you, a cyclist is riding about 8 metres back in the same lane. To your right, a pedestrian with a stroller is stepping off the curb into the marked crosswalk on the east side. The truck driver waves you forward with a hand gesture through the windshield. Your front bumper is roughly level with the stop line, and you can see the crosswalk clearly. You need to decide whether to accept the wave, and in what order the intersection should actually clear.
1. Explain who has the right of way at this four-way stop and whether you should accept the truck driver's wave.
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A hand wave cannot transfer a legal right of way; it only communicates an intention. At a four-way stop the general rule is first to arrive, first to proceed, and when two vehicles arrive at the same time the vehicle on the right goes first. Here the truck is already stopped and signalling a left turn, so it arrived first and would normally proceed before you. However, the pedestrian entering the crosswalk on your right has priority over both vehicles. You must stay stopped until the pedestrian and stroller have fully cleared your lane and the truck's intended path.
Accepting the wave is risky for three reasons. First, the truck's body may block your view of a vehicle approaching from the north that intends to go straight; the truck driver may be waving you into that vehicle's path. Second, the cyclist 8 metres behind you is on wet pavement and may not expect you to accelerate suddenly. Third, if a collision occurs, the wave is not a legal defence. The safe choice is to wait, confirm the crosswalk is clear, confirm the truck is actually holding, and then proceed only when you can see the whole intersection is safe.
2. Describe how the wet road and the cyclist behind you should change your acceleration and gap selection once you do proceed.
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On wet pavement, braking distances stretch and tyres have less grip, so any acceleration should be gentle and progressive. A sudden lunge from the stop line risks wheel spin and gives the cyclist behind no time to react. Because the cyclist is only about 8 metres back, you should avoid a hard launch and avoid stopping again abruptly in the intersection; a smooth, steady pull-away keeps the gap predictable.
Choose a gap that lets you clear the intersection without hesitating in the middle. If the truck is turning left across your path, wait until it has committed and its rear has cleared your lane, not merely until its nose moves. Leave enough following distance behind the truck that you are not trapped if it stalls mid-turn. After clearing the intersection, maintain a steady speed rather than accelerating hard, so the cyclist is not forced to brake on slick paint and metal covers. If the cyclist is gaining on you, do not speed up to stay ahead; let them pass if the lane allows.